1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to walk-behind and rideable power equipment, and more particularly to walk-behind and rideable cutting saws used to cut, saw, groove, or grind surfaces such as concrete or asphalt. More particularly, this invention also relates to a steering guide for such equipment.
2. Background Information
Concrete cutting equipment is used in the construction industry to cut concrete and other hard surfaces in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. One of the ways that a concrete saw is used is to cut out desired portions of concrete or asphalt or to cut or score a desired feature into a surface. Examples of such uses include: scoring a surface to provide a channel for water to drain, cutting a surface to allow the portions of the surface to rise and fall as the ground rises and falls, and cutting a surface to prevent or repair cracking. In some instances, cuts are made simply for decorative purposes or may be done simply as a part of removing or destroying a portion of a surface.
Typically, a surface to be cut is marked with a guiding line prior to cutting. This guiding line is typically made with an instrument such as a chalk line upon a surface and provides a desired path for the saw blade to follow. The operator or sawyer who controls the saw then attempts to run the blade of the cutting device along this line to cut the surface at this location. The aim of such a process is to obtain straight cuts. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, straight cuts prevent the concrete from flaking along the edges of the cut and cause less stress and damage to the saw blade and the cutting device.
While straight cuts are desired, they are often times difficult to obtain. Most walk-behind type cutters are designed so that the operator walks behind the saw and the cutting blade is in front of the sawyer. Typically, a motor, housing, and/or other portions of the cutter obstruct the sawyer's view of the saw blade. In this configuration, maintaining the saw blade in proper alignment with the guide line is difficult and may even seem impossible as the sawyer cannot both operate the saw and watch the saw blade contact the guide line. As a result, a sawyer must sacrifice either time or accuracy in making cuts in the concrete surface.
In some instances, an indicator is attached to the front portion of the cutting machine. This indicator is intended to assist the sawyer in maintaining the saw in proper alignment with the guiding line. Typically, the indicator is a point attached to an arm that extends in front of the concrete cutter. The arm and the indicator are configured so as to provide a projected location of the saw blade and assist the sawyer in aligning the saw blade with the guiding line. While this idea functions in theory, in use several problems arise.
First, the indicator only provides one point of guidance upon the line. Since one point can have an infinite number of lines passing through it, simply maintaining the indicator on the guide line will not necessarily prevent the saw blade from moving in a variety of other directions. Hypothetically, the saw could rotate 360 degrees, while the point remained upon the line. Thus, the single point indicator that exists in the prior art does not assist the sawyer in determining whether or not small variations in alignment between the saw blade and the guideline have occurred. A sawyer may have the indicator placed upon the line and believe that, since the indicator is on the guideline, he is proceeding along the straight line. However, a variety of variations of the saw blade along the line may have occurred without being noticed or perceived by the sawyer. As a result, the cut made in the concrete may not be straight and may make the concrete prone to flaking and/or breakage.
While it is true that the person utilizing the saw could attempt to align the indicator and the saw blade to provide two points of alignment, this is inherently dangerous as it usually requires the operator to lean out over the saw to align the saw blade with the line. Another method of alignment requires the positioning of the saw blade and the line by constantly stopping, checking, and repositioning the saw blade along the line, which results in very slow progress being made in making the cut.
If the saw blade has deviated off the desired outlined course, some type of action must be taken to realign the saw blade with the guiding line. In realigning the saw blade with the guideline, irregularities in the cuts themselves may occur. These irregular cut lines destabilize the concrete and can cause the edges of the concrete to flake and/or break along its edges. In addition to poor quality cuts, the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining a straight cut line may also result in damage and breakage of cutting saw components such as motors and/or saw blades.
Therefore, what is needed is a steering guide that allows an operator of a concrete cutting device to maintain a saw blade in a straight line along a desired cutting path while operating the concrete cutting device. What is also needed is a steering guide that provides the sawyer with increased ability to ensure alignment of a cutting saw blade with a guiding line while operating the cutting saw. What is also needed is a steering guide with two points of alignment that allow a sawyer to move a saw blade along a guiding line with increased precision and accuracy.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a steering guide for walk-behind cutting apparatuses that enables a sawyer to maintain the walk-behind construction apparatus in a desired alignment with a guiding line while traveling across a surface. Another object of the invention is to provide a concrete cutting machine with a steering guide that provides the operator with increased ability to maintain a saw blade in a desired location and positioned along a guiding line. Another object of the invention is to provide a steering guide with two sighting means that are visible by an operator while the operator is guiding the cutting saw along a desired path.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.